Just thinking about hens

[veggiechicken]

Its this one Plastic Dog Kennel | Great deals at zooplus!
I bought the largest one.
There are plastic chicken coops for sale too - I know nothing about them though!

[Gillykat]

I'm another who is seriously thinking about a few chooks Probably not this year as things are a bit financially pear-shaped at the moment with hubby not working and a new boss taking over the shop I work in (he seems ok but there's always a worry with new gaffers that they may be 'orrible ) but I'm reading all I can for now and doing my homework

Luckily Neil is great at making things so he could build their run/enclosure for when they had to stay in....rather than having free rein to potter about when I'm on the plot. I've even found a place in Durham where my chickens can go for THEIR holidays when Neil and I are away

[Bigmallly]

If you went for VC's kennel Lottie, you could easily block the door permanently & let the chooks in & out via the side flap.

[veggiechicken]

Some more photos - just taken! Look at the sunshine!

Larger gravel trays, woodshavings and perch

Added perspex door, ramp - also used to secure door at night, wormery nest box - with egg

Shanty town chicken patch. One run covered with pond liner and the other covered with debris netting to keep out birds and squirrels. Chicken wire also has bird netting on it to keep out small birds (though robin still seems to find a way in )


I throw all the compostable stuff in their run - veg peelings, grass cuttings, shredded paper etc and the wood shavings/poo from their kennel. They dig it over and it is cleaned out every few weeks and put in the compost bins.

Chickens are Amazing
Life without Chickens is unimaginable. Have some and be happy

[Snadger]

What happened to the church steeple that you aspired to Snadge?

I'll build that for my retirement pad Its on the backburner at the mo!

[Snadger]

The perch is about the size of a broom handle and curved so that they can wrap their toes around to it stay put while they're asleep. Mine's a branch attached to 2 blocks of wood from a pallet. All the chooks use it and their droppings fall into the trays beneath.
I've put larger trays in since I took the photos.

A branch is better as the chooks spin around on a broom shank when they fall asleep!

[lottie dolly]

Have i said,I WILL have chickens when the area is ready and birds can be had ,we have allocated a patch,no less than 17 ft by 7 ft,119 sq ft in all,so that should be a nice area for the little darlings,a plan has been started on paper,the general idea at present is,a dog kennel aprox 2 ft of the ground,a nest box area at the side,a shelter over the top of them for extra protection,also storage area to put vermin proof storage bins in,a gate into the run,we have chicken wire and wood down the lottie,the aim is that hopefully we can build it between us,bit by bit,the area under the coop/nest box's should give then a shady dust bath area,when the ground has thored out a clear up will begin,lots off sieved soil to move.

[Jay22]

Not at the moment VC, for thirty six years OH and I have looked after all sorts of animals and children. Terrible to say this but when Harry dog joins his brother in the great kennel in the sky, hopefully not for a long time, we are having some time to ourselves. We will probably be divorced within a year!

[veggiechicken]

A branch is better as the chooks spin around on a broom shank when they fall asleep!

Haha! I just wanted to give Lottie an idea of the size!

[Snadger]

Found a piccie, in case you were wondering about the New England Church coop that BM mentioned!



Now there's a chicken coop to die for!

[veggiechicken]

Lottie - sounds great. Lots of good ideas there and, I'm sure MR is enjoying the challenge!
I store sacks of feed in dustbins with a clip on lid.
Its worth getting a treadle feeder like this 17.5Kg Galv. Treadle Feeder - Waterproof, Weatherproof, Heavy Duty for chickens. | eBay as it keeps vermin away from the food.

[Bigmallly]

.............and here's one in action Lottie, great for keeping the vermin out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSTGzMlg5pQ

[Jay22]

^^^ Mmm shouldn't click on these links, went from the chicken feeder, great idea and clever chicks to watching videos of funny dogs, guilty dogs.....you get the picture!

[lottie dolly]

I certainly do jay,certainly do